Moses Itauma will return to the ring on Jan. 24 in Manchester, England, taking on American Jermaine Franklin at the Co-Op Live arena.
Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) is one of the most exciting young fighters on the planet but has struggled to find opponents willing to go up against his devastating power this year. He has boxed just three rounds in 2025.
The 20-year-old’s last win came in August against former word title contender Dillian Whyte, when Itauma delivered another sensational Round 1 knockout.
Itauma will kick off the new year against Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs), whose only two defeats have come against Whyte and Anthony Joshua, both on points. Another stoppage win for Itauma would notably improve upon Whyte and Joshua’s wins against Franklin.
“We are thrilled to be delivering such a strong Magnificent 7 [card] for the fans in our first UK show of 2026,” promoter Frank Warren said.
“It is a statement of intent for the New Year and a sign of things to come.
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“This show will also effectively celebrate my 45th year in the professional business and I believe this card certainly does justice to the occasion and I am very happy to have our heavyweight prodigy Moses topping the bill in another perfect test of his unquestionable credentials against a very tough American in Jermaine Franklin.”
Training under Ben Davison, Itauma has positioned himself as the next face of the heavyweight division and should be in contention to fight for a world title in 2026.
The WBA had ordered its regular title holder Kubrat Pulev to fight Itauma, however it has since been announced that Pulev will fight Murat Gassiev on Dec. 12 in Dubai.
The move was a blow for Itauma, who has limited time in the ring as a professional owing to his impressive knockout rate.
The Slovakian-born Brit has not had to go past Round 2 in his last nine fights.
The heavyweight clash will headline Queensberry’s latest “Magnificent 7” card, which will feature a domestic light heavyweight fight between British prospects Willy Hutchinson (19-2, 14 KOs) and Ezra Taylor (13-0, 9 KOs).